The holidays are over and it's time to get back into a reading and blogging routine. To get started, let's take a look at the books I finished in late December...
by Ruth Reichl, narrated by Bernadette Dunne
Reichl's narration added so much to my enjoyment of Save Me the Plums, I was disappointed to discover she did not read this one. (She narrates the abridged version... I didn't want to go there.) Though I've been on a roll with author-read memoirs and was expecting on one more, Bernadette Dunne did a fine job.
Garlic and Sapphires is about Reichl's time as restaurant critic for The New York Times and the disguises she employed in order to dine anonymously in NYC's top restaurants. These disguises were so elaborate, she became unrecognizable to her own husband and son. Interestingly, Reichl also strived to take on a new persona as she donned the costumes. Her descriptions of the many meals and restaurants practically had me drooling as I listened! Recipes are also included.
Chances Are... by Richard Russo
Nobody can tell a story like Richard Russo! I've read nearly all of his novels and he never disappoints. This one is set on Martha's Vineyard and tells of three 66-year-old men, friends since college, gathering for a reunion of sorts. It included an element of suspense, which I don't generally associate with his novels. I enjoyed this book very much and will be discussing it with the library book club later this month. It was the final addition to my 2019 favorites list.
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
narrated by Barbara Rosenblat, John Franklyn-Robbins, and others
Current reading//
by Helen Ellis, narrated by the author
GOALS FOR 2020
I've spent some time over the past couple of weeks thinking about my 2020 reading. Like 2019, my priority will be quality over quantity. In addition, I'd like to...
- keep reading a high percentage of nonfiction (30-40%)
- read back list of new author discoveries
- read more classics (think about joining Back to the Classics 2020)
- keep track of book sources (library, personal copy, etc.)
- read the books I already own, especially the ebooks
- try to write a few sentences about each book read
Are you joining any challenges this year? Have you set reading goals?
The week ahead//
We don't have anything major planned this week. Our renovation project at the new house has been at a complete standstill for the past 2 weeks due to the holidays. We should be able to order the kitchen cabinets/counter and start looking at backsplashes.
I'm planning to attend a native landscape walking tour. It's time to start learning more about which plants will thrive in this subtropical climate. We're also having lunch with a new friend later in the week.
How is 2020 going for you so far? What are you reading this week?
The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.
It's Monday... What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date.
I’m hosting a Nonfiction Reader Challenge and participating in six others (I got a bit carried away). My goodreads goal is 2020.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy your walking tour.
Wishing you a great reading week
Shelleyrae - I hope 2020 is a typo for your goodreads goal! Will look into your nonfiction challenge.
DeleteLOL added an extra zero there..my goal is 220 ;)
DeleteI loved Save Me the Plums and would like to read Garlic and Sapphires now. I agree with you on Richard Russo. I was in the minority with Southern Lady Code - I thought the author tried too hard and didn't find it all that funny. I hope you're enjoying it more than I did.
ReplyDeleteKathy - I finished Southern Lady Code today and will join you in the minority :(
DeleteI loved the audio of Chances Are; Russo is so good! I read 84 Charing Cross Road last year and it was a favorite for the year.
ReplyDeleteHope your home projects progress quickly.
Diane - Richard Russo has been a favorite ever since I read Empire Falls all those years ago (thank you, Oprah!). It might be time to search out his very early novels I missed... Mohawk and The Risk Pool.
DeleteI am not a foodie, but Garlic and Sapphires does sound fun! I am glad you enjoyed the book. I've only read one of Russo's novels years ago and really liked it. He's a favorite of my father-in-law. I hope you are enjoying your current reads. I want to read more nonfiction this year and was considering joining the nonfiction reading challenge. I am on the fence though, not sure I want to commit. I already have so many obligations that I tend not to want to add more in my reading life. And yet, if it actually helps me get where I want to be, maybe it would be a good idea . . . You see my dilemma. I do want to read more poetry this year and have joined a challenge for that. It's very open ended though in how much or how little I read.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a great week!
Wendy - I bet your father-in-law will love Chances Are... the addition of suspense is new for Russo, but he did it really well. I gave up on challenges years ago, but joined the classics challenge in 2019. It didn't go well, but I'll try it again this year. Not sure I'll join any others. I have the same dilemma you do!
DeleteI love all three authors that you closed out 2019 with. I've never read that Russo book; I must remember to look for it in the future. I enjoyed all the Ruth Reichl books, but I think I enjoyed Garlic and Sapphire the most as I had experiences mystery shopping when my kids were young, and I could connect to her experiences.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever considered the Classics Club, JoAnn? Maybe you already belong to it. I like it because it allows you to choose your own list of fifty classics to try to read over five years. You are also able to modify your list if you begin a book that just doesn't work for you. I'm not very good at doing challenges that only last a year, so I've tended to stick to challenges that last for a long time. I did sign up for the Nonfiction Challenge this year, but it will be pretty easy for me to accomplish this one as I tend to read a lot of nonfiction. (So much nonfiction that I'm consciously trying to up my fiction intake this year!)
When spring comes, I'm hoping to work a bit more on landscaping our yard with native plants. I've been volunteering at a native plant nursery in my county and I've been learning a lot about them.
Have a good week!
Deb - Funny you should mention The Classics Club. I joined shortly after it started and completed my first list of 50 in the 5 years... I'm working on my second list now, but my increase in nonfiction seems to have come at the expense of classics. I'm trying to get my balance back, as well as refocus on my second CC list.
DeleteComing from the north (zone 4), the vegetation and landscaping here is SO different. I need to get up to speed, lol.
Southern Lady Code was such a fun audiobook - the author was the perfect narrator.
ReplyDeleteAngela - I just finished and enjoyed the southern accent, too!
DeleteI'll have to let my wife know that the Russo book is really good. She likes his writing, I believe.
ReplyDeleteBryan - If your wife is a Russo fan, she'll definitely want to read this one!
DeleteYes, life gets in the way of reading sometimes. I haven't finished my first book of the year as yet, and I have others waiting! Happy reading year.
ReplyDeleteHarvee - I hope you have a very good reading year, too. Happy 2020!
DeleteI finished the year with 84, Charing Cross Road too. The audio version sounds delightful. There's a film version which is pretty faithful to the book, done mostly in voiceovers, with Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins.
ReplyDeleteKatherine - Although it's been on my list for years, I STILL have not watched the film. I must check the library this week to see if it's available. What a coincidence we both chose to end the end year with 84, Charing Cross Road!
DeleteI like your goals for the year. I also enjoy Richard Russo, but haven't read him for a while. Chances Are is on my list.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read 84, Charing Cross Road, but I definitely should.
Thanks for sharing, and enjoy your week.
Laurel-Rain Snow - I think Richard Russo is at his best in Chances Are... Adding in the element of suspense is new and he does it so well. You'd enjoy this one!
DeleteOh! I've managed to keep up with you! Just starting Chapter 15. :) I'm racking my brains tho trying to figure out who we've met before. Don't tell me... (but there's a good website for looking things up till you get your companion back - I think it's the Trollope Society's.) But as always it's lovely to be reading Mr. T. with you. I'm read/listening too, with the Timothy West version. He's not bad...
ReplyDeleteAudrey - Can't believe we're at the same place... I was afraid I'd be way behind. I'll check the Trollope website and see if I can figure out where we've met these people before. Kicking myself for putting that book in storage though. Timothy West is perfectly fine... he's just not Simon Vance.
DeleteI need an audio edition of 84 Charing Cross Road. It's one of my absolute favorites. I love the descriptions of the food in the catalog. I hope the home renovations get moving again! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - Listening to an old favorite is such a fun experience... I loved the multiple narrators! Fingers crossed the renovations start moving again this week.
DeleteVicki - It was such a good read!! I'll try and get a print copy to read some of the recipes.
ReplyDeleteGarlic and Sapphires sounds good but I think I'll read it in print. Happy New Year. My weekly update
ReplyDeletePussreboots - I'm sure it's excellent in print, too!
DeleteI'm glad that you will be able to get back to your kitchen project. That must have been hard over the holidays! I'm joining in a few TBR Challenges this year. Happy 2020! I hope you can stop by!
ReplyDeleteColletta
Colletta - Thankfully, we are not trying to live in the house during the remodel. We plan to move in late this spring when it's all done. Good luck with your reading challenges.
DeleteHope the renovations get back on track quickly. I know that can be frustrating.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to need to listen to Save Me the Plums sometime this year. I've heard such great things about it. Loved Southern Lady Code. She's such a hoot.
I don't think I'll be doing any challenges this year. Work, reading & blogging is about all the challenge I can handle!
Susie - I finished Southern Lady Code yesterday... my favorite was Peggy Sue Got Marijuana. It definitely wouldn't have been as funny without the southern accent. Wishing you the best as you juggle your many commitments in 2020!
DeleteI don't do challenges though I am trying to read more of my own books. I get too focused on review books. Come see my week here and Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteKathy - I really want to focus on my own books this year as well. I don't accept review books any more, but my biggest distraction is our wonderful library, lol!
DeleteLove that Russo book too! Great reading goals. I'm kind of thinking of buying an eReader instead of using my tablet. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteBeth F - I have a hard time reading on my tablet. The backlighting on a kindle is MUCH easier on my eyes. My 85-year-old mother much prefers reading on her tablet though, so everyone is different. Glad you loved Russo's book, too.
DeleteOh, I loved Garlic and Sapphires! I really should revisit that one!
ReplyDeleteWestmetromommy - Wasn't it great? I picked up Reichl's My Kitchen Year at the library today.
DeleteI very much enjoyed Garlic and Sapphires and I’m on a hold list at the library for the Russo book, great goals for the new year! I have a few but haven’t posted about it yet.
ReplyDeleteShelly at Book’d Out started non fiction challenge and I plan to sign up.
The books littering my house are a priority! Can’t stop bringing them home.
Tina - I was at the library yesterday and brought home Reichl's My Kitchen Year. It's a beautiful book with lots of recipes. Will take a closer look at it this weekend. Russo's new book was so good... hope I remember all the details for the book discussion in two weeks. Good luck with the nonfiction challenge. I'll look forward to seeing the books you choose for each category!
DeleteThose are great goals! I don't currently have any, although I am tracking how much I save by using the library this year. Our receipt always gives a total so I am curious what it will be at the end of the year all added up!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have some fun stuff happening at your new house! Enjoy!
Erin - How interesting your library keeps track of that for you... I'd love to know how much I save by using the library!
DeleteI really liked Helen Ellis’s other book, so I should probably read Southern Lady Code. I’ve heard good things about it. Good luck with your 2020 goals!
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Aj - Overall I think I liked her short story collection better, but I loved listening to her read the essays. Her southern accent added a lot!
DeleteGarlic and Sapphires sounds great, although Ruth not reading it might be an issue--love her voice!
ReplyDeleteWe're planning a long trip to Maine this August and I am compiling some reading lists for books set in and about Maine - Richard Russo's Empires Fall was one I found, so I'm about to read my first Russo. Glad to hear he's a favorite of yours.
Non-fiction is such a treat to read - I have a lot on my shelf to read this year.
Good goals - hope to see you on the Back to the Classics board!
Happy reading.
JaneGS - If you don't mind an abridged version, you can listen to Reichl. I'm always worried about missing something really interesting though.
DeleteCan't think of much I'd love more than a long trip to Maine in August! Russo is a must for your reading list. Another suggestion is Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan or anything by Elizabeth Strout.
I'll be posting my list for Back to the Classics within the next day or two.
Thanks for the shoutout JoAnn. The Southern Lady Code was funny in places though a bit uneven. I did enjoy it as an audio and it was short which was a plus. I want to read the Russo book. I like your goals. One of mine is: to read at least one hour per day uninterrupted and read longer if possible. Ha. Like you, I listen to a lot of audiobooks while walking (my dog). The Kevin Wilson novel is a good audio fyi.
ReplyDeleteSusan - Short is always a plus and the narration was excellent, but Southern Lady Code was uneven for me... as was her earlier short story collection. Hope you get to read the Russo book. An hour a day of uninterrupted reading sounds like heaven, lol! Good luck!
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